1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of electronic sales transactions, and, more particularly, to approximating alternate currency equivalents in digital receipts.
2. Related Art
In a variety of transactions, consumers or buyers of goods or services typically receive receipts from their respective merchants or service providers as proof of existence of conducted transactions. Generally, receipts are issued by merchants and service providers for a number of reasons including, for example, regulatory or tax reasons and convenience purposes. A receipt provides information about a corresponding transaction for the purpose of providing all participants with a trace or record of the transaction. Receipts can later be used by a consumer for various purposes including, for example, proving participation in a transaction for tax reporting purpose, product returns, use as a claim ticket for a further transaction, provisioning warranties, etc. For in-store purchases, consumers generally obtain a paper receipt at the point-of-sale. Accordingly, consumers frequently retain paper receipts for some amount of time after a transaction. Saved paper receipts can then be used by consumers later to return merchandise, to track expenses for budgeting purposes, or to substantiate tax, reimbursement, or warranty claims, among many other uses.
In many situations, it may be desirable to obtain a version of a receipt that indicates purchase prices and totals in a currency other than a local currency used by a merchant. For example, if a purchase is made in a country that uses a currency other than a customer's native currency, the customer may have limited, if any, understanding of the actual costs indicated on a receipt. If a currency is relatively new (e.g., recently adopted in one or more countries, such as, the Euro) this can be especially problematic.
Alternately, even if a customer is familiar with a particular currency, other persons associated with a transaction may desire to view the receipt. These other persons may not be familiar the particular currency. Many households include family members that leave abroad in different countries but that rely on pooled or common financial resources for support. For example, a household can include family members living in multiple different countries that each uses a different currency. Thus, if a family member makes a purchase in a country that uses one currency, other family members in a country that uses another different currency may not be able to easily determine actual costs. However, the family member managing the pooled or common financial resources may need to know the actual costs.